OIEC - Advocate for Injured Employees (Ombudsman I

Agency Information: The Office of Injured Employee Counsel (OIEC) is the state agency that helps injured employees with their Texas workers' compensation claims. The agency assists, educates, and advocates on their behalf. OIEC provides services in 20 offices across the state, including advocacy, customer service, and dispute assistance through OIEC's Ombudsman Program.

Benefits

• 96 hours of accrued vacation a year
• 96 hours of accrued sick leave a year
• 20+ holidays every year
• Career advancement opportunities
• Free parking
• Free comprehensive medical insurance for full-time employees and 50% off premium costs for dependents (state pays other 50%)
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

Responsibilities

• Assists and prepares the injured employee in mediations and/or formal hearings (proceedings) and provides routine updates to OIEC clients about the status of their claim
• Educates the injured employee about the workers' compensation dispute process and workers' compensation law/rules
• Assists with referrals to social services with other state agencies
• Provides assistance in filing claims
• Assists with obtaining supporting claim documentation from doctors
• Contacts insurance carriers and medical providers to identify and resolve disputes
• Documents customer contact in a computer system
• Answers general customer service questions
• Performs other duties as assigned

Requirements

This position requires:

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
• Three years full-time experience in claims management, insurance, casework, law office (paralegal/legal assistant), healthcare, social work, or workers' compensation

Note: Education and experience relevant to position requirements may be substituted for one another on a year-for-year basis.

Qualifications

Preferences for this job include:

• Experience with medical terminology, rehabilitation, and disabilities/impairments
• Public speaking, i.e., training, outreach, community speaking, etc.
• Bilingual English and Spanish language skills (oral and written)

If you hold a current law license, you must surrender it upon hire. Candidate must reside in Texas or be able to relocate to Texas by the start date. OIEC does not sponsor or assume sponsorship of an employment visa.

Skills

This position requires demonstrated knowledge of:

• Microsoft Word and Outlook

This position requires demonstrated skill in:

• Conflict resolution
• Assisting the public
• Handling and solving problems
• Interpreting and explaining laws and regulations
• Data entry and retrieval
• Use of correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling

This position requires the demonstrated ability to:

• Travel (25%)
• Multitask between different cases and meet deadlines
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and groups
• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with all levels of employees and the public

Military/Veteran Information

Military employment preference is available as per Senate Bill 1376, 88th Legislature, Regular Session, Section 657.002. Documentation must be attached before military preference can be granted. Required documents include:

• Veteran: DD Form 214
• Surviving spouse of a veteran who has not remarried: Marriage Certificate and DD Form 1300 or appropriate documentation
• Orphan of a veteran killed while on active duty: Birth Certificate and DD Form 1300 or appropriate documentation
• Spouse of a member of the US Armed Forces/Texas National Guard serving on Active Duty: Marriage Certificate and copy of spouse's active-duty military orders
• Spouse of a veteran with disability and is the primary income for household: Marriage Certificate, Veterans DD Form 214, and VA Benefits Summary Letter showing disability rating

For help translating your military work experience, visit www.texasskillstowork.com. Applicable Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes include, but are not limited to: 27A, 250X, LGL10, 4421, 4402, 4430, 51JX, 92J0.

Additional Military Crosswalk information can be accessed here.